The Roman Catholic Church, or Catholic Church, is the largest Christian Church in the world. According to the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, the Church's worldwide recorded membership at the end of 2003 was 1,085,557,000, over half of the estimate at that time of the total number of Christians.[1] It is led by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, currently His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
It has defined itself as "the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter" i.e. the Pope "and the bishops in communion with him."[2] It teaches that it is the one holy catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ for the salvation of all people.
Origins
The Church traces its origins to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, in particular Peter, the leader of the Apostles, who is traditionally regarded as the first Pope.[3] It rose to prominence in the fourth-century Roman Empire, when Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan in 313. From 380, Christianity was the Roman......
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